ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL METHOD AND SYSTEM

An adaptive cruise control method for a driving vehicle includes acquiring the speed of the driving vehicle, acquiring the relative distance between the driving vehicle and the preceding vehicle driving in the same lane in front of the driving vehicle, calculating a target time headway, the time headway being the ratio between the relative distance and the driving vehicle speed, on the basis of a relationship linking the target time headway with the driving vehicle speed, and controlling, as a first control mode, the engine and/or the brake of the driving vehicle on the basis of the target time headway.